Morocco

While Morocco’s youth enjoy good health, education and economic opportunity are important areas for continued investment.

Morocco scores close to the median, placing it 16th overall and in the middle tier of countries in the Index. It ranks 5th in health, but has lower ranks in the economic opportunity and education domains.

Fifth in health, Morocco’s rate of youth self-harm fatalities (12 per 100,000 youth) is below the Index average (16 per 100,000) and has decreased steadily since 1960. The adolescent fertility rate of 31 births per 1,000 women also outperforms the Index average of 42. This figure has stayed consistent since 2000.

The country’s low rate of youth interpersonal violence (5 deaths per 100,000 youth) drives Morocco’s high scores in the safety and security domain, where it ranks 9th. Road fatalities among young Moroccans (20 per 100,000 youth) are also relatively low compared to the Index average of 34.

Morocco’s scores for education, economic opportunity, and citizen participation are below the Index average. Several factors explain the country’s rank in these domains. Morocco is 27th in lower secondary completion rates, where 68 percent of students graduate, and 23rd in secondary enrollment, with 69 percent of students enrolled.

Economic opportunities for youth are limited in Morocco; the country ranks 27th in this domain. Despite some growth, GDP per capita (US$3,240) remains lower than the Index average ($15,847). Early-stage entrepreneurial activity among youth has declined from 13 percent in 2011 to 6 percent in 2016. The youth unemployment rate also increased from 15 percent in 2004 to 20 percent in 2014.

Only 10 percent of Moroccan youth surveyed indicate that they had volunteered in the past month. The country received a score of 5 out of 10 for democracy as measured by the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index.

The Global Millennial Viewpoints Survey

Moroccan youth have mixed perceptions about their wellbeing overall. Despite a low economic opportunity score, 63 percent of youth surveyed think that their standard of living will be better than that of their parents.

Forty-six percent of youth that participated in the survey are satisfied with the educational system or school where they live.

Seventy-five percent of youth surveyed agree that women should have all the same rights as men.